Silicon ValleyApril 12, 2019 | Santa Clara Marriott

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Nominations are submitted via our website (simply click here or the Nominate button) and includes the option of submitting nominations in one or more of the nine award categories. To view the award categories and questions click here.

Cheers to Nominee Cocktail ReceptionFebruary 21, 2019Club Auto Sport

The Cheers to Nominees Cocktail Reception kicks off the competition and is a celebration of all program Nominees prior to finalist announcements. Between 100-200 typically attend this special event and includes Nominees, their Supervisors and other Nominators. This event is by invitation only and is complimentary.

Finalist Notification WeekFebruary 25, 2019

Finalists are notified of their advancement in the competition during finalist notification week. This typically happens via email and our website but in some markets may be delivered in person by our Finalist Notification Street Team.

Admin Awards GalaApril 12, 2019Santa Clara Marriott

The Admin Awards dinner gala is often referred to as the ‘Academy Awards for Admins’, is an extraordinary celebration of the contributions of Administrative Professionals and is where the nine Admin Awards winners are announced among an audience of hundreds of attendees.
The Admin Awards gala includes a one-hour cocktail reception, an exceptional three-course meal, amazing music, extraordinary prizes valued at between $500 - $22,000 (varies by market) as well as a special high-quality gift for EVERY attending Admin.

About Colleen Barrett: Her Journey from Secretary to President of Southwest Airlines and the Award that Bears Her Name

The Colleen Barrett Award for Administrative Excellence is the most coveted and prestigious honor bestowed by The Admin Awards and is named after a legend in the administrative profession, a woman who first proved herself indispensable as corporate secretary to former Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher before ascending the ranks to President and COO of the Dallas-based company in 2001.
Throughout her five-decade career at Southwest Colleen advanced from Legal Secretary to VP of Administration, to EVP of Customers to President and COO and President of one of the world’s most successful airlines. Since 2008 Colleen has served as President Emeritus of Southwest and is revered for her leadership and decision-making abilities, along with her dedication to ensuring the needs of customers, employees and all other stakeholders are met.
Colleen has won many business and industry awards including one of the most important, historic and visible aerospace awards in the world, the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy which reflects a timeline of the most innovative inventors, explorers, industrialists, and public servants in aeronautics and astronautics.
Colleen is also a fierce advocate for the administrative profession and the understands first-hand the extraordinary impact that high performing Admins have on an organization’s success.
The Colleen Barrett Award honors Administrative Professionals who are following in her hallowed footsteps. Barrett has long credited Kelleher with helping her to succeed: “If you have a boss who will let you stretch,” she said, then you have opportunities to learn. With the Colleen Barrett Award, bosses also have an opportunity to show superstar admins how much their dedication to excellence means — and how far they too can potentially rise.
The award will be presented by Barrett to an Administrative Professional who best exhibits those traits that helped her have an extraordinary impact in her role as an Admin and include: high proficiency, shares the same values as their organization, is passionately committed to their organization’s purpose, demonstrates a legendary passion for customer service internally and externally, and has a heart for employee advocacy.

Sarah Jones WenzelAdministrative Business Partner, Office of the CMOGoogle

CC WoolfolkSenior Executive AssistantIntuit

Joanne LindenPresident & Master TrainerAdminUniverse

Shiela WattChief Executive AssistantQuanergy Systems, Inc.

Denise PolancoExecutive AssistantHP, Inc.

Jaime MillerExecutive AssistantLinkedIn

Yvonne TorresExecutive AdministratorInfinera

Terence BennettAdministrative Business PartnerGoogle

Melissa AcunaExecutive AssistantCisco Systems

Contribute A Major Prize and All Eyes will be on your Company at the Gala

The Admin Awards, referred to by many as “The Academy Awards for Admins” is accepting a limited number of Major Prize contributions which will be awarded during “Prize Breaks” throughout the awards ceremony. Past prizes have included all-expenses-paid vacations, electronics, spa packages, gift cards, airline tickets, designer purses and much, much more! Our Prize Breaks have become legendary and represent a potent way to endear your brand to these deserving and connected Administrative Professionals while also enjoying the captive audience of 450-650 executive and administrative attendees during the ceremony (size varies by market).

Here’s how our prize partnership program works:

14 companies are showcased during three “Prize Breaks” which happen intermittently in between the nine award presentations to an audience of Administrative Professionals, their executive counterparts and coworkers.

Minimum prize value is $500, subject to review and approval

Prize Partners receive prominent display of their logo and giveaway on the big 16’ screens for about one minute while the prize contribution is drawn.

Every Admin that attends the Gala is automatically entered to win one of the 14 major prizes. An est. 250 – 350 admins attend each Gala.

Prize Partners are given the contact list of Admins including email addresses for future follow up.

Prize Partners will receive one ticket to attend the Gala.

While not all prizes are accepted, those that we believe would delight our community of Administrative Professionals and include a value of over $500 (although many are in the $1,000 – $2,500 range) are what gets us most excited.

There sometimes is a cost to participate in the Major Prize program depending on the prize, est. prize value and other factors.

Finalists & Winners Publications

2018

2017

2016

Video

2016 Silicon Valley Video Tribute

2017 Silicon Valley Recap

2019 Admin Awards Trailer

About The Admin Awards

The Admin Awards recognizes administrative excellence in nine individual award categories, which may vary slightly from market to market to reflect the leading industries in each program area. Below is a list of all existing award categories and their respective markets in addition to the Founders Award which is the only company award offered by the Admin Awards and is described below. Nominators do have the ability to nominate an Administrative Professional in more than one award category although an admin can only be declared a finalist in one award category (the award category with the highest score from the judges is retained).

Colleen Barrett Award for Administrative Excellence

is The Admin Awards’ most prestigious honor and is presented to the Admin that best demonstrates many of the qualities which enabled Colleen Barrett’s rise from legal secretary to President and Chief Operating Officer of Southwest Airlines.Award Category Questions

Office Manager of the Year Award

recognizes the Office Manager who effectively handles a wide range of administrative responsibilities in the workplace ranging from administrative support to managing office facilities and everything in between.Award Category Questions

Administrative Excellence in Public Service Award

honors the Admin that serves the public or private sectors, including non-profits, government, educational institutions, military, law enforcement, fire and rescue or politics.Award Category Questions

Above the Call Award

is the award all about providing exceptional customer service both internally and externally and honors the Admin whose job responsibility involves significant interaction with others such as coworkers, customers, vendors, company visitors etc.Award Category Questions

Loyalty Award

is presented to the Administrative Professional that has a long history of effective service in the Administrative profession (minimum of 20 years) and/or has a long history of effective service to their existing company or executive in an administrative capacity (minimum of 10 years). Award Category Questions

Spirit Award

celebrates the Admin that consistently exhibits a positive, can-do outlook and is the person that people are drawn to during good days and bad for their optimism, enthusiasm and positivity.Award Category Questions

Achiever Award

recognizes the Admin who has a reputation for “getting it done” – either a significant project or day in day out resourcefulness and achievement of a variety of tasks.Award Category Questions

Leadership Award

recognizes the Admin who leads other formally or informally and exhibits a variety of leadership qualities including persistence, focus, integrity, innovation, patience, decisiveness, open-mindedness, empowerment, generosity and a passion for helping fellow employees and their organization succeed.
Award Category Questions

Rookie of the Year Award

celebrates an Admin new to the administrative profession (total time in the role should be less than 3 years ago), who has demonstrated the greatest potential to excel.Award Category Questions

Founders Award

recognizes organizations that provide an exceptional work environment by demonstrating specific criteria that brings out the very best in its Administrative Professionals.Award Category Questions

Kristy Wolk has been with Maxim Integrated as an Executive Assistant since 2008. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations with a Minor in Communication in the Information Age & an A.A. in Liberal Arts.
She believes in continuous employee development and is always looking for new projects to join. She is a member of Maxim’s CFO Mentor Committee, Assistant Forum Team and the Global Assistant Portal Team. Outside of Maxim, Kristy is on the board of her children’s school and volunteers when she can find time.
Kristy believes in open communication and strives for a strategic partnership with her manager. With three children and a very busy schedule, she understands the art of creating a work/life balance. Kristy admires photography, enjoys a good road trip, and welcomes the idea of exploring new ways of doing things. She strives to stay creative, positive and most importantly, healthy.

Anthony Castaneda

Anthony has been the Facilities Manager at BloomReach Inc. for just over a year now. He moved to California 6 years ago and has since acquired a passion for Facilities Management. Anthony spins many plates to ensure the facility runs efficiently, with safety and security as the top priority. He has made a large impact in a short period of time at BloomReach and is always looking for ways to improve the workplace experience. From delivering mail and ordering supplies to personally conducting office re-configurations and managing construction projects at multiple locations, he seems to always have it under control.
He is a lover of music and spirits and enjoys nothing more than sharing these experiences with great friends. On the weekends, you will find Anthony hiking, biking and traveling as well as playing an occasional sand volleyball game.

Elena Schneider

Elena represents all that is good in an administrative professional. As Senior Legal Assistant at McManis Faulkner, her attitude is always 'I am part of a team'—and she really is. There is no one more motivated by the desire to continually grow and improve her skills and share her knowledge with her colleagues. Elena’s excellent communication skills and rapport with other team members, clients, fellow employees, and management make her a true asset to the firm.
Elena leads by example. The minutiae involved in preparing a case for trial is mind-boggling but she takes pride in finding ways to organize and make the mountains of information manageable. She trains all the new legal assistants, teaching them the systems she put in place and keeping the firm functioning like a well-oiled machine. Always first to step up and contribute in any way that she can, Elena’s loyalty and commitment to the firm is exemplary.
Elena is a California Certified Legal Secretary and a long-time member of the Santa Clara County Legal Professionals Association (SCCoLPA). Currently, she serves on SCCoLPA’s Executive Board as Governor. She shares the association’s passion and commitment to the education and training of legal professionals.

Carolyn Freitas

Carolyn is an Executive Assistant at Juniper Networks, Inc. where she has worked for the past 13 years. In this role, she has supported multiple VPs and their departments in IT Infrastructure and IT Applications Management. Prior to Juniper, Carolyn was an Executive Assistant at Cisco Systems for six and a half years supporting the VPs and departments of IT Finance and IT Web Platforms. Fortunately in these roles, she has been able to fulfill her passion for service by organizing quarterly volunteer events, mobilizing the support of her coworkers and consequently sharing this passion for others to do the same.
She holds an Associate’s Degree in Business from Mission College in Santa Clara and West Valley College in Saratoga.
Carolyn is an avid 49ers fan. She enjoys volunteering in her community and her daughter’s school, playing with Kona her Golden Retriever, being around the horses on her ranch, and hosting international exchange students from Germany, Brazil and the Netherlands.

Denise Polanco

Denise Polanco is a renowned C-Level Executive Assistant for HP Inc., a Fortune 100 company with more than $52 billion in revenue. She currently serves as executive assistant to HP’s President and CEO, Dion Weisler.
During her 16+ year tenure with HP, Denise has supported a variety of C-suite executives and is experienced in managing everything from complex events and customer experiences to Board of Director's engagements and high-profile government and business endeavors.
In addition to managing all the CEO activities, she orchestrates a diverse community of C-suite executive assistants and passionately spearheads internal training and recognition programs for the EA community. Denise is a fierce advocate for building careers across the company and is actively involved in the Santa Clara community. Before joining HP, Denise supported executives at Omidyar Network and Silicon Graphics.
Denise currently resides in San Jose and holds a Political Science Degree from Santa Clara University.

Jamie Miller

Jaime Miller has found her true passion as an Executive Assistant, which she defines as helping people and organizations become successful. She joined LinkedIn in 2016 as Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Global Engineering Operations, where she has developed a strong brand as someone who can be consistently counted on.
In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, she has led various projects, including supporting the IT teams in the largest company-wide migration from Google Mail and Calendar to Office 365. With over 14 years of administrative and event management experience, Jaime’s influence extends beyond her executive and team. She enjoys mentoring others and sharing best practices within the administrative community. To further support those in and out of LinkedIn, she serves on the Administrative Professionals Conference Advisory Council.
Outside of the office, you will find Jaime at the ballpark supporting her three children, or wine tasting with her family and friends.

Adriana Herrera

Adriana is the Executive Assistant to Paul E. Lorenz, Chief Executive Officer at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is a comprehensive health care delivery system with a Trauma Center for adults and children, a Regional Burn Center, and a nationally recognized Rehabilitation Center.
Adriana started her career as an administrative professional with Santa Clara County in 1990. Over the past 26 years, she has steadily climbed the County’s administrative professional ladder and in 2007 advanced to the position of Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer; the highest-ranking office professional at Valley Medical Center. Adriana is proud of her career in public service and values her ability to bring hope, joy and a smile to everyone she comes in contact with each day.
Adriana enjoys scrapbooking, reading, and hiking with her husband, Arturo. She also enjoys cooking and watching movies with her daughters, Jessica and Juliette.

Yasmin Patel

Yasmin is an Executive Assistant for Synopsys, Inc. In her 21 years of service to Synopsys, she has directly supported up to four VPs and a technical staff of 350. “Yasmin has excellent organizational skills, a proactive approach, anticipates and mitigates potential problems, and a caring-but-firm touch,” says VP Ravi Tembhekar. "She also shows exceptionally good judgment in her communications." Her excellent networking skills and length of service at Synopsys allow her to explain and provide support for any corporate process, whether in person, via email, or through internal websites she created and maintains herself. She is detail-oriented and makes sure nothing falls through the cracks, whether it’s a small purchase request or coordination of a meeting with hundreds of attendees worldwide. Yasmin displays an amazing ability to work with cross-functional groups within Synopsys, with a ready-to-help attitude. “It’s hard to imagine our office without Yasmin.”